Cryptocurrency terms and Definitions

Cryptocurrency terms and Definitions

Cryptocurrency terms and Definitions

A 51% attack is a situation where more than half of the computing power on a network is operated by a single individual or concentrated group, which gives them complete and total control over a network. Things that an entity with 51% of the computing power can do include, but are not limited to:

A bitcoin address is essentially the same thing as your home address. It’s the location from which you would receive, send or hold your currency. These addresses generally manifest in a long string of alphanumeric characters and will look something like:

ASIC mining is a crafty method of mining various coins at a much faster rate than any normal desktop or laptop might allow. Essentially what an ASIC, or Application Specific Integrated Circuit is, is a chip specifically created to execute one task. Enter ASIC mining. An example of one such model is an ASIC miner created to ONLY process SHA-256, which is the problem offered by the Bitcoin blockchain to mine new coins. There are also ASIC’s for scrypt which specifically solves the mathematical code in relation to altcoins such as Litecoin. Though, in recent years there has been a good amount of dialogue surrounding the longevity of mining this way and we’ve even seen coins making it so that it’s impossible to mine with an ASIC.

A blockchain is a data system that allows for the creation of a digital ledger of transactions on a non-centralized network. Cryptography is the main operator that allows for users to engage with the ledger without the need for any central figurehead. In layman’s terms, this means that people and computers all over work together to create a network instead of a network being made by one single person or company. This network is enabled and protected through cryptography! We have seen this used in currency, data transfer and on. The blockchain is comprised of “blocks” and is constantly growing as each new record, datum, or block is added onto the chain for everyone to see.

Block height is the number of blocks preceding the genesis block (first block) on the chain. A genesis block will always have a height of zero because nothing precedes it. It’s a metric used to create a bearing on time in the programming world as well as a few other functions such as maintaining counter-party and betting in the crypto world. Considering that a new Bitcoin block is made every 10 minutes, you can work out certain time related pieces of information if you have the total length of the chain.

Block reward is the reward allotted for hashing, or solving the mathematical equation related to a block. The reward for mining a Bitcoin block is 25 bitcoins per block mined, which will halve every 210,000 blocks!

A distributed ledger is an agreement of shared, replicable and synchronized data, in this case spread across multiple networks, across many CPU’s. A central ledger is the opposite in that all of the data, while being synchronized and replicable is controlled by a singular network or individual.

DDoS

A distributed denial of service attack uses large numbers of computers under an attacker’s control to drain the resource of a central target.

Dust Transaction

A transaction for an extremely small amount of bitcoins, which offers little financial value, but takes up space in the blockchain.

Escrow

The act of holding funds or assets in a third-party account to protect them during an asynchronous transaction.

Fiat

Any form of physical paper currency. Regulated and Centralized

FOMO

Fear of Missing out

FUD

Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt

Faucet

A technique used when first launching an altcoin. A set number of coins are pre-mined, and given away for free, to encourage people to take interest in the coin and begin mining it themselves.

A fork is the permanent divergence of an alternative operating version of the current blockchain. Forks come into existence when a 51% attack occurs, a bug in the program, or more commonly a new set of consensus rules come into existence. These happen when a development team creates and inserts notably substantial changes into the system. The successful fork is decided by the height of their blocks.

Hodl

Is a misspelling of the word Hodl made popular by a viral post in 2013. It later became know as an acronym for “Hold on for Dear Life.” A phrase that means you hold your position or coin despite an increase in the market or when others may be selling their coin in fear of a decline.

ICO

Mining is the term used for discovering and solving blocks along the blockchain. A reward is given for solving the algorithm and lengthening the chain, called a mining reward. The mining reward for the Bitcoin blockchain is Bitcoin.

Multisig, or multisignature refers to having more than one signature to approve a transaction. This form of security is beneficial for a company receiving money into their BTC wallet. If a company wants to keep it so that one employee doesn’t have sole access to a transaction, multisig allows for a transaction to be verified by two separate employees before it’s complete.

P2P is another way of saying Peer-to-Peer. Peer-to-peer has become a very large focus of blockchain as one of the biggest selling points is decentralization. Nearly every interaction on the blockchain can be fulfilled P2P, or without a centralized variable like a store, bank or notary.

Proof of work was a concept originally designed to sieve spam emails and prevent DDOS attacks. A Proof of Work is essentially a datum that is very costly to produce in terms of time and resources, but can be very simply verified by another party. The proof of work for Bitcoin is referred to as a “nonce,” or number used only once. This has been considered an energy intensive alternative to proof of stake as the computers unfortunately have to be on and running, which also drives the market towards centralization of hashing power… which is what the blockchain aims to defeat!

Proof of stake has been considered the greener alternative to PoW. Where PoW requires the prover to perform a certain amount of computational work, a proof of stake system requires the prover to show ownership of a certain amount of money, or stake.

Public/Private Key

In cryptography, a public key is a cryptographic key that can be utilized by any party to encrypt a message. Another party can then receive the message and using a key that is only known to that individual or group, decode the message.

Pump and Dump

Inflating the value of a financial asset that has been produced or acquired cheaply, using aggressive publicity and often misleading statements.

Signature

A signature is the mathematical operation that lets someone prove their sole ownership over their wallet, coin, data or on. An example is how a Bitcoin wallet may have a public address, but only a private key can verify with the whole network that a signature matches and a transaction is valid. These are only known to the owner and are basically mathematically impossible to uncover.

QR Code

A two-dimensional graphical block containing a monochromatic pattern representing a sequence of data.

Shorting

Selling a cryptocurrency In hopes of buying it at a lower price at a later time to gain profit.

A two way smart contract is an unalterable agreement stored on the blockchain that has specific logic operations akin to a real world contract. Once signed, it can never be altered. A smart contract can be used to define certain computational benchmarks or barriers that have to be met in turn for money or data to be deposited or even be used to verify things such as land rights.

Volatility

The measurement of price movements over time for a traded financial asset.

Wallet

A digital or physical address in which cryptocurrency can be stored/sent/received. Accessible through a private key.

Whale

Someone who possesses a Majority percentage of a cryptocurrency. Referred to as a Whale.

Litecoin Foundation & TokenPay strike a strategic partnership

TokenPay, The self-proclaimed “Bitcoin on steroids” has entered a partnership with the Litecoin Foundation for a 9.9% stake in the WEG Bank in Germany. In May 2018 TokenPay acquired just under 10% of WEG Bank with the option to purchase up to 90% if approved by the regulatory commission of Germany. In a move to leverage Litecoins marketing and technology service TokenPay has handed the 9.9% over to Litecoin in hopes that it will put TokenPay on the map as a major player in the cryptocurrency market.

TokenPay CEO Derek Capo said in a recent statement “We are building an entire ecosystem that includes merchant services, banking, escrow, gaming, e-sports, employment services, etc., where we have entire control of the vertical integration needed to lower costs, but also control our destiny. Litecoin is a top-five blockchain in the world, and boasts more than one million followers worldwide, which helps increase the chances of TokenPay’s ecosystem to succeed.”

What does this mean for TokenPay & Litecoin?

This partnership will provide TPAY access to LTC’s massive user base and will give the users the opportunity to buy, sell & trade as well as gain access to the company’s debit card service. In turn, Litecoin will benefit by having exclusive access to TokenPay’s long-standing bank connections to hopefully integrate the LTC blockchain network into a wide range of monetary associations.

Charlie Lee, CEO of the Litecoin Foundation responded to the partnership by saying “This partnership is a huge win-win for both Litecoin and TokenPay. I’m looking forward to integrating Litecoin with the WEG Bank AG and all the various services it has to offer, to make it simple for anyone to buy and use Litecoin.”

Each company will play a crucial roll in the partnership by focusing on TPAY crypto and its accompanying blockchain as well as the TokenPay multisignature transaction engine, which should accelerate payment and transaction speeds tremendously for both companies.

There is no word yet on exactly when the technology side will be implemented but TokenPay is geared up to make some major moves that include partnering with multiple other financial establishments.

Top Cryptocurrencies to Buy in 2018

The cryptocurrency world is more buoyant than ever, and with new tokens and platforms being introduced regularly, it can sometimes be difficult to discern which ones are good to buy and which ones should be left alone. To help you decide which cryptocurrency to buy we have compiled a list of crypto tokens that might be worthy of your consideration and have potential in 2018.

Bitcoin

Bitcoin suffered a rocky beginning in 2018. After surging significantly in value, the price of Bitcoin dropped. But it should never be discounted as a currency. It has been on the market for many years, made many people rich and is now enjoying widespread popularity. With the blockchain technology being implemented in many practical ways, the world over the currency is set to have continued success as 2018 draws on. During Q1 and Q2, it has been recovering from its previous setbacks.

Litecoin

Like Bitcoin, Litecoin had a pretty devastating start in 2018 – the price plummeted as investor confidence dropped. Now it is also gradually recovering lost ground in the market. Many crypto enthusiasts are buying Litecoin because it is a faster alternative to Bitcoin and the price is still relatively low, which makes it possible to purchase the coin in larger sums than its major counterpart.

Ripple is an unusual altcoin with a lot of real-world application and potential. The platform underlying Ripple is already being integrated across the world by banks and financial institutions. The coin itself is thriving because there is so much real-world faith in its crypto platform. With American Express using the Ripple platform, many other large financial institutions are set to follow soon. This is definitely a token to keep your eye on, and if you think it is a sound investment, consider Ripple as an option to diversify your portfolio.

Ether

Another of the big hitters that is going from strength to strength is Ether which operates on the Ethereum blockchain. This blockchain is utilized by many companies, and because of its continued success in the commercial markets, the token has grown in value fairly consistently. Make sure you check upcoming Ethereum news as it regularly updates businesses, investors and users with any information that could prove beneficial for those using the platform and the token.

Stellar is a cryptocurrency that is aiming to overtake Ripple and compete in the financial marketplace arena. Its sole goal is to integrate fully with the financial world and provide a viable platform that connects financial institutions the world over. It’s no mean feat considering the big names already using the Ripple platform, but Stellar has grown steadily and is refusing to go away, what’s more, it is beginning to make waves among smaller financial institutions and is definitely not a coin to discount. Watch this space!

Dogecoin has long been the outsider to the crypto community. Initially created as a parody of the large cryptos and with an iconic and lovable dog on its logo, it picked up popularity quickly and is now considered one of the main crypto contenders. The investors have begun to take the coin more seriously, and in January it reached a staggering $2 billion in market capitalization. Not bad for a coin that initially started as a prank. Dogecoin isn’t thought of as a joke anymore though, it is now taken as a serious currency with a humorous edge.

Now we delve into the murky and muddied depths of the crypto world with our next entry – Zcash. The popularity of this coin is derived from its anonymity when transacting, something that has been heralded by the black market and dark web and scorned by financial regulators and law enforcement worldwide. It continues to be used widely and is performing well in terms of growth, so this coin shouldn’t be brushed aside because of its reputation. Plenty of reputable investors and users love Zcash, and it has thus far weathered the storm of scrutiny.

Dash is an innovative Crypto that doesn’t actually try that hard to compete with Bitcoin or the other altcoins, instead, their focus is on creating a crypto alternative to the likes of PayPal. Dash is a platform that aims to be accessible to everyone and anyone, whether or not you are actively involved in the crypto community. It has performed relatively well, and although it is a long way off of rivalling PayPal, it has gained a portion of the PayPal market which is really an uphill struggle.

Cardano is a new kid on the block, but it has so far managed to earn trust of many investors and hit the list of 10 largest cryptocurrencies by market cap. The team behind Cardano aims to create a distributed network that is “true to the original vision of Satoshi Nakamoto”. The project is now well under development, but some cryptocurrency enthusiasts already believe that Cardano might cause a stir to the whole industry.

TRON (TRX) Continues To Gain Support Following Mainnet Launch

The CEO of TRON (TRX) announced that OTCBTC would support the TRON Blockchain upgrade and token migration. On May 25th, 2018 TRON announced the launch of TRONVM and on May 31st activated MainNet. The Token Migration is scheduled for June 26th, 2018.

OTCBTC [OTC- over the counter, BTC- Bitcoin] is a cryptocurrency trading platform offering a variety of cryptocurrencies paired with BTC, ETH, and USDT.

“Our next goal is to become one of the top 6 cryptocurrencies in the world. We have actually achieved top 6 briefly on January 5, 2018 during TRON’s outstanding sprint out the gate. In 2018 we will reclaim and secure this title which will mark TRON’s global status as a mainstream public blockchain and lay a solid foundation for competition with Ethereum.”

Currently the most exciting news for TRON is still about its mainnet lunch which is attracting a lot of attention. Tron is currently is in its testing period [June 1-24] for preparation of its genesis block, followed by the Super Representative Election on the following day.